Hans Böckler Foundation Scholarship

Three PhD scholarships are available at Marburg University in the NLP research group for the junior research group “Human-in-Control: Implementing employee co-determination in the design, development, and deployment of artificial intelligence” (NFG 033).

The project is funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation and focuses on how to move from human-in-the-loop to human-in-control in AI systems, with a strong emphasis on employee participation, system design, and workplace impact. Research directions include integrating employee perspectives into AI design and requirements engineering, technical methods to strengthen human oversight and control in NLP/AI systems, and organizational processes that improve job quality and worker influence in AI-supported environments.

The scholarships start between November 2026 and February 2027, run for up to 3 years, and are based in Marburg, Germany. Doctoral candidates receive a monthly tax-free stipend of €1,750 (€1,650 basic stipend + €100 research allowance), plus a health insurance subsidy of up to €100 and possible family allowances. Students may also earn up to €500 per month through teaching responsibilities.

Applicants should have an above-average academic degree and demonstrate socio-political or trade union engagement. The doctoral project should fit the group’s thematic focus, and applicants must submit an exposé of up to 10 pages. Projects may be written in German or English. A scientific reference letter is not required at the initial stage.

The application deadline is 2026-05-02. Applications must be submitted exclusively via the Hans Böckler Foundation online application portal. For questions, contact [email protected]. The post also points to the full call and application instructions online.